“Sure. Why not?”
Slowly he turned in a circle, and looking at him was pure torture. The ass on this man! All of Kate’s recent orgasms had been of the DIY variety, and she was dying for some hot, steamy sex with an actual partner.
“Do you know what I like about you, Katie?” Ian said when he’d turned back around.
“My extreme tolerance?”
“Yes! Most women would not be able to put up with me.”
“Most women would probably have you arrested.”
“Says the woman who made me take off my clothes.”
“I’m guessing it’s not all that hard to get you out of them.”
“You’re a good sport, Katie, and you have legs up to your neck.”
“The legs are a big deal to you, aren’t they?”
“I’ll let you know after I’ve seen the rest of you. There might be a body part I like even more than your legs.”
“A bit assumptive, don’t you think? I said I’d go out with you, but you are still firmly in the friend zone. And I don’t care what kind of hotshot hacker you are, you won’t find any naked pictures of me online, so don’t even bother searching.”
“Two steps ahead of you, Katie. Already looked and came up empty-handed. It was a sad day for me.”
“Aren’t there things about me you’d like to find out organically?”
“There are certain things I will never be able to find out about you until we’re doing them together. Just think about that. I know I am.”
And now so was Kate.
She took one last look at his naked body. “Okay, you can put your clothes back on now.”
“I don’t know,” he said, taking a few steps toward Kate until he was standing close enough that she could identify the notes of his cologne—something spicy and masculine with a hint of citrus—and feel the warmth radiating off his smooth-looking skin. “I kind of like being naked.”
“Must you always have the upper hand?”
“Always, Katie. Never forget that.”
Kate found it much easier to converse with Ian once she’d finally convinced him to get dressed. “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing her keys and beckoning him to follow her into the hallway.
“Outside again? But it’s nice and warm in here.”
“I’m walking you out because we’ve had enough togetherness for one day.” Kate was actually enjoying Ian’s company, but she was determined to wrest some control back from him and bring their interaction to a close on her terms. She also wanted to take a hot bath and put on something warm and comfortable, preferably made out of flannel. Then she planned to pop some popcorn and spend the evening watching one of those romantic comedies in her Netflix queue.
Ian followed Kate into the elevator and then back outside to the front steps where he called a cab.
“Where’s your car?” Kate was curious why a man who clearly wasn’t hurting for money would drive an older model, but maybe it was his frugality that allowed him to give money to charity.
“I elected to leave it at home in case you decided to challenge me to a drinking contest. I’m not positive I would win. Either way, I’d surely be too impaired to drive.”
“You’re the one who ordered the third round. Believe it or not, I would have stopped at two.”
“Sure you would have.”
“You’re insufferable. I don’t like you.”
He leaned in closer. “Liar,” he whispered.
She pushed him away. “Tell me something deeply personal and embarrassing. Something that’s, let’s say, on par with snooping in someone’s browsing history.”
“So this anecdote? It should be of a sexual nature?”